VICTORVILLE — The City Council on Tuesday could make a decision on a proposal to increase water rates through 2020 as the state cracks down on cities to make needed infrastructure upgrades.

Yet it wasn’t immediately clear on Monday if the obstacle that delayed a vote last week had been resolved.

After the council meeting June 15, City Attorney Andre de Bortnowsky said questions about the legality of current rate calculations set in 2010 first arose as staff were “thoroughly” vetting the proposal.

Concerns specifically stem from possibility that customers are basically double-billed if hit with add-on fees for things like over-usage, he said.

De Bortnowsky was expected last week to complete an analysis into whether current rate tier step-ups are justified. While the rate increase is agendized for possible action Tuesday, City Clerk Carolee Bates said Monday she had not yet seen de Bortnowsky’s opinion on the rate calculations.

The proposal calls for a 4.17 percent increase starting Aug. 1 and a 4.37 percent jump on July 1, 2015 to push the Victorville Water District toward near-zero operating losses and stave off a scenario where it milks its cash reserves dry, according to Sean McGlade, director of Public Works and Water.

Under the plan, annual rate increases of roughly 5.6 percent would follow through 2020.

Due to a council decision in 2010, rates are scheduled to jump 8.8 percent anyway on Aug. 1 unless current council members intervene. They could decide to not intervene, adopt the new proposal or scrap rate hikes altogether, which city officials have done since 2010.

Also on Tuesday, the council and Planning Commission will meet in a joint session to discuss the controversial plan to increase lot sizes for new single-family residential districts.

Since it was introduced earlier this year, the proposal has been met with staunch opposition from the building industry, which contend downzoning won’t raise property values or make Victorville safer as city officials have sought to do.

The meeting begins at 4:30 p.m. inside Council Chambers located at 14343 Civic Drive.

Shea Johnson may be reached at 760-955-5368 or SJohnson@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter at@DP_Shea.